Political news I want to share. 8-19-2026.

Sixth Circuit rejects religious law firm’s suit over hate group label @ryanluetkem https://t.co/zmPMmlpja1
— Courthouse News (@CourthouseNews) August 14, 2026

‘Graveyard for Grants’: NIH Is Holding Up Medical Research Funding

https://www.notus.org/health-science/nih-holding-up-medical-research-funding-status-19

Hundreds of grants, including for maternal health, contraceptives and drug abuse, are in limbo, subject to political reviews.

The Trump administration is implementing more political oversight of grants. Alex Brandon/AP

By Paige Winfield Cunningham

August 17, 2026 06:00 a.m.

It used to be that once a National Institutes of Health grant award hit “status 19,” the money was about to go out the door.

That’s not the case anymore. The Trump administration has enacted an unprecedented political review process, pushing hundreds of awards into limbo. Status 19 — an administrative code describing awards with senior leadership sign-off — is being used as the holding cell.

Current and former career staff say this extra review by senior leaders is occurring after grants have undergone peer review, been approved by multiple offices in NIH, and screened for red-flag words around race, gender or other behavioral and social sciences. The extra political reviews are required not only for newly funded grants but also for annual payment installments for previously awarded projects.

As a result, some grants are lingering in status 19 for weeks or even months, gumming up the works as grant officers try to get awards out the door ahead of the new fiscal year starting in October. Flagged grants reviewed by NOTUS had to do with maternal health, contraceptive use, aging, dementia and opioid abuse.

“The notion that Francis Collins or Mike Lauer would ever have reviewed individual grants like this is so beyond the realm of comprehension,” a senior career staffer said, referring to the former directors of NIH and its Office of Extramural Research. “It’s laughable to me.”

A second senior NIH official called status 19 a “graveyard for grants.” The NIH staffers were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media.

As one of the largest grant funders in the federal government, NIH’s process is a prime example of how the Trump administration is implementing more political oversight of grants across a wide swath of agencies, even as its efforts to formalize those reviews face pushback.

Senate Republicans voted to temporarily block a White House regulation to formalize political review, which has already led to delays in posting and awarding grants at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Department of Interior and other agencies.

Researchers, patient advocates and biotech companies are outraged by the proposed regulation, which the White House is seeking to implement by Oct. 1 but could be blocked until December if the House also approves a delay.

Senior NIH leaders sent around a new agency review flowchart in May outlining additional steps once an award hits status 19. The flowchart, viewed by NOTUS, mandates a review by the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) and an HHS counselor before grantees are given a notice of award. There are no political appointees at OER, but its director reports to NIH Director and Trump appointee Jay Bhattacharya.

As a result of the extra reviews, the number of grants sitting for weeks in status 19 have surged. Around 8% of new grant awards are sitting in status 19 for anywhere from two to seven weeks, according to internal data shared with NOTUS.

In past years, around 11% of first-time awards had been released to the recipients within a week. This year, it’s 2%.

The delays are even more pronounced for annual payment installments for ongoing grants. The vast majority previously left status 19 within three days; now it takes 53 days to get 90% of payments out the door.

Lauer, who served as NIH’s extramural research director from 2015 to February 2025, said he couldn’t recall a time when a political appointee — including the NIH director — halted awarding of a research grant after it had gone through the review and approval process.

“Status 19 was not something I thought about,” Lauer told NOTUS.

NIH career staff stress that by the time grant awards reach status 19, they have been through dozens of editing and review steps. They’ve undergone peer review and a second look by an advisory council. Grant officers have gone through a checklist, including confirming that women and racial minorities have been appropriately included, something required by statute.

In grants reviewed by NOTUS, HHS or EOR staff flagged words including “diverse,” “equity,” “structural” and “underrepresented” and asked for clarification about what the researchers meant by them. In one project, a staffer wrote that the word “structural” could include concepts that are inconsistent with NIH priorities.

They asked for more clarification in projects that focused on health disparities or racial groups. Officials wrote that focusing on specific racial groups required more justification. In one project that expressed support for scholars and researchers from a variety of backgrounds, an official responded that the language could raise legal concerns if interpreted as targeting people based on demographics.

In multiple flagged grants, officials expressed concerns that they weren’t worth funding because their only practical use might be to support the writing of new laws.

HHS spokeswoman Emily Hilliard disputed the notion that status 19 is being used to hold up grants under extra political reviews. She said grants can remain in status 19 for five to 10 days while they are given final review by the Office of Extramural Research.

“There is no political appointee review stage in the NIH grant review process,” Hilliard said in a statement. “OER’s review is a longstanding part of NIH’s grant review process.”

Lauer said releasing grant money might face occasional delays, but it was almost always because Congress had failed to pass a budget for NIH, leading to uncertainty about how much total grant funding would be available.

Trump appointees are also conducting extra layers of review to the notices posted by the government to let researchers know money is available for specific projects or programs. Researchers say they’ve seen more delays in posting those notices — another obstacle in getting grant funding out the door.

“It’s this black box of HHS review,” said Colleen Kelley, an associate dean for research at Emory University.

Author

Paige Winfield Cunningham is a reporter at NOTUS.

Political news I want to share 8-18-2026. Part 1

Authoritarianism on display.Prosecutors Examined Firm With Tie to Judge in Trump Hush Money Trial http://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/u…
— Mannwich (@mannwich.bsky.social) 2026-08-15T10:59:43.764Z

A federal court in Nevada became the 22nd consecutive district court to reject the Trump administration’s campaign to force states to turn over their unredacted voter rolls, dismissing the Department of Justice’s case and denying its motion to compel. https://t.co/553Vyw9JI0
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 14, 2026

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he has heard “absolutely nothing back” from Sen. Mitch McConnell after requesting updates on the senator’s condition.

Beshear (D-KY) says while he wishes McConnell “good health,” the senator should address the public directly. “His boss are the… pic.twitter.com/hnnbQBo4JR
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 16, 2026

Welker: "Trump pardoned everyone who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, including 172 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers. How is that consistent with your pledge to always protect law enforcement?"

Blanche: "There is nothing inconsistent."

Welker: "On Jan. 6… pic.twitter.com/DKqvQKabSU
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) August 16, 2026

pic.twitter.com/aOLYmYpvTh
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 16, 2026

CBS News poll on whether Democrats split over socialism, and how Americans see parties in today's economy https://t.co/wV39VuxjmW
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 16, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Two DHS Sources Confirm to Migrant Insider — The ICE Agent Who Pointed His Gun at a U.S. Citizen in Virginia Is Martin Lagunas https://t.co/1xtlQ8APhI
— Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) August 15, 2026

“On the day Renée Good died, he’d posted about her death on his own Facebook page.

The caption was one word: “FAFO.” https://t.co/BcZysDlwRx
— Jeremy Konyndyk (@JeremyKonyndyk) August 15, 2026

This is the same kind of behavior that led to the murder of two American citizens.

Trump’s violent goon squad is out of control. We need to completely clean house and rebuild from the bottom. https://t.co/meSn5G23AM
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) August 11, 2026

My reporting follows the outstanding gumshoe work of Unraveled Press, which you can find here: https://t.co/Ut1wyCZbvi
— Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) August 15, 2026

Law enforcement loves these shock gloves—in large part so that they can harm people and avoid being sued for it.
— Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) 2026-08-15T12:59:00.652Z

pic.twitter.com/I2JFVkXUIH
— Unofficial Trump on X (@trump_repost) August 15, 2026

❤️ If you’d like to help support my self-funded independent journalism consider making a donation:

PayPal: dcbhigby@gmail.com
Venmo: Cameron-Higby
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I also get fees on this coin: solana:D3pHN7kAJMvcbWrUBECjcr2MZjPgNTrzo3kCerYwpump
— Cam Higby 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) August 15, 2026

NYT: Republicans Are Trying Hide Healthcare Cuts

Trump says that after Iran is defeated he’s going to declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-08-14T19:56:59.178Z

Democratic primary turnout has soared in some states. Can it carry over to November? https://t.co/KeAVXUvMHy
— Local 4 WDIV Detroit (@Local4News) August 15, 2026

ANOTHER WAPO SCOOP:The Navy is considering a major redesign of its new aircraft carriers to better match President Donald Trump’s aesthetic preferences for the warships, according to seven current and former U.S. officials familiar with the matter. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec…
— Dan Lamothe (@danlamothe.bsky.social) 2026-08-15T12:34:34.412Z

The reckless & shameless “American” media completely & intentionally misrepresent the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The brave Sailors of that Strike Group are very proud of their tough & historic mission. They embody resilience & excellence. @DeptofWar @USNavy & @CENTCOM have their back. https://t.co/2Yi08wMxYm
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) August 14, 2026

Wife of Service Member Rips Trump Administration’s ‘Infuriating’ Denial About Conditions Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
— Mediaite (@mediaite.com) 2026-08-14T22:29:07Z

They said no new wars.

Now they’re saying they will stay in the Middle East “indefinitely.”

Americans don’t want more forever wars.https://t.co/WI3tGe1Zkt pic.twitter.com/eV9cYTeoP7
— Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) August 17, 2026

North and South Korea are still technically at war. Our ability to help defend our ally against the North Koreans is because our forces are well trained and able to coordinate with the South Koreans. Hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake. pic.twitter.com/VLO3t7Ghbf
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) August 16, 2026

Trying to imagine the reaction from Republicans if Obama had begun a statement with ‘Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea…’ before announcing a reduction in military cooperation with a top US ally.

Oh the Trump double standards! https://t.co/fG93GDb1Fm
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) August 16, 2026

Trump has taken a look at North and South Korea and concluded that Kim Jong Un and the North Koreans are the good guys and we should be with them. Fuck MAGA.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 16, 2026

When it comes to strengthening the resolve of totalitarian dictators, Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on giving.

He never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to be small, petty, and narrow-minded when America stands for everything else.

Our friends and adversaries… pic.twitter.com/GBiipGtDJd
— Rahm Emanuel (@RahmEmanuel) August 16, 2026

For the first time in US history, America betrays South Korea, one of our closest allies for over 75 years. These exercises in various forms have taken place every year since 1974. pic.twitter.com/WoA5Dg8Yti
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 16, 2026

NEWS: Trump says he has ordered Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and calling the drills “hostile.”

Trump says he is helping North Korea because South Korea refused to… pic.twitter.com/hT7IULtRui
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) August 16, 2026

They are discussing using nuclear weapons on Iran in strategy meetings.

Yes you read that correctly. It’s real. I’m not speculating, I know.

And it’s pure evil.

The last time a nuclear weapon was used was August 6th and 9th of 1945 on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and…
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) August 16, 2026

A US Navy guided-missile destroyer spent four days last month without working toilets, galley services and air conditioning in the blistering heat of the South China Sea after the warship lost power. https://t.co/0zyRNvuse9 pic.twitter.com/wjO1V1s2lf
— CNN (@CNN) August 17, 2026

Amazing. Amazingly awful.

I'd thought she would get a spot in the Trump admin.

But her impact here will be more direct.

Brilliant play @jaredpolis… couldn't have waited to commute until, say, Wednesday, November 4?

h/t @yvonnewingett https://t.co/7Y1Y1kOomo
— Stephen Richer (@stephen_richer) August 16, 2026

POV: you bring the receipts.

➡️ Prescription drug prices record sharpest drop in more than 60 years. pic.twitter.com/v00kCY2D3D
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 15, 2026

WH Takes Credit For Drug Cost Drop Due To Biden

More Americans are delinquent on their credit card payments now than at any other point since the Great Recession.

About 13% of all credit card balances are currently overdue by 90 days or more.https://t.co/ojN54yLp6p
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) August 16, 2026

Exclusive: A Wyoming woman alleges in a federal lawsuit that her stepfather used the Grok chatbot to transform a childhood photo into child sexual abuse material. https://t.co/FBAjtClETk
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 15, 2026

Wait 🤔

Did Mike Johnson just admit on fox news that President Trump Iran war fucked up their own economic plans?
So we had an economy taking off like a rocket until Trump decided to play bodyguard for Bibi?

Well sh*t, thanks for clearing that up, Mike 🤟
— Jose M (@JMLV51) August 15, 2026

A metaphor for what Trump has done to our country in less than 2 years. pic.twitter.com/NQulsg8Urx
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) August 16, 2026

Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly. Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn't vandalized should go back to Law School! President… pic.twitter.com/q9tJjfwoKX
— Unofficial Trump on X (@trump_repost) August 17, 2026

Two DHS Sources Confirm to Migrant Insider — The ICE Agent Who Pointed His Gun at a U.S. Citizen in Virginia Is Martin Lagunas

https://migrantinsider.com/p/exclusive-two-dhs-sources-confirm

The Chicago-based agent was already identified on social media and by Unraveled Press. Now, two Department of Homeland Security sources have confirmed his name to Migrant Insider.

Pablo Manríquez

Aug 14, 2026

Two sources inside the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the name of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who pointed a gun at a U.S. citizen to Migrant Insider.

The masked ICE officer who stepped out of an unmarked SUV on Monday and pointed his service weapon at Carolina Molina — a U.S. citizen, seated behind the wheel of her own car, in a parking lot off Columbia Pike in Falls Church — is Martin Lagunas, according to two DHS sources who spoke to Migrant Insider on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly.

“This is the same kind of behavior that led to the murder of two American citizens,” Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) tweeted about the incident.” “Trump’s violent goon squad is out of control. We need to completely clean house and rebuild from the bottom,” he added.

DHS has not named Lagunas in any public statement. The agency’s official line after the encounter went viral described the officers as agents who feared for their safety during a “targeted immigration enforcement” operation. But Molina’s video shows her car is stationary as Lagunas points his weapon at her window and accuses her, on camera, of nearly running his team over — a lie ICE agents made after the killing of Renée Good in Minneapolis in January.

Confirming a name investigators wouldn’t

Lagunas, 40, was first publicly identified by Elgin-area ICE watchdog Ismael Cordová-Clough one week ago, and independently verified through voice and visual analysis — including a distinctive arm tattoo and a frayed “POLICE” patch worn across multiple eICEncounters — in reporting by Unraveled Press. Migrant Insider’s DHS sources corroborate that identification.

Unraveled’s reported that Lagunas is a Chicago native who led an Enforcement and Removal Operations team first documented making arrests outside Chicago’s immigration court at 55 E. Monroe Street in May 2025, and later during protests outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois — the epicenter of last fall’s Operation Midway Blitz demonstrations.

That same team surfaced again in Minneapolis in January, four days after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot the 37-year-old Good — the case Molina herself invoked at a Wednesday press conference, saying, “I think my life was in danger at that point. It wasn’t until after I was like, this was a whole Renée Good situation again.”

Martin Lagunas’ Facebook profile picture.

The “weaponized vehicle” playbook

DHS’s account of the Virginia stop — that Molina “attempted to harm officers by weaponizing her vehicle” — repeats a pattern the agency has leaned on before, per Unraveled’s reporting: almost identical language was used to justify the fatal shootings of Silverio Villegas González in Franklin Park, Illinois, and Good in Minneapolis — claims that video and body-camera footage in both cases failed to support.

Molina saids the gun in her face made her start filmimg. “I think that’s why I took my cell phone out and started recording, because I’m like, ‘yo, this guy is really pointing a gun at my head.’ Like that’s insane,” she said.

DHS’s statement on the incident does not mention Lagunas by name: “The operation was targeting criminal illegal aliens, whose crimes included a hit and run and drug trafficking, and illegal aliens with final orders of removal. Fearing for their safety, ICE officers conducted a vehicle stop of the driver. Necessary background information of the driver was taken and she could face criminal prosecution as a result of her actions.”

The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office confirmed this week it is reviewing the footage. Rep. Don Beyer and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam have publicly demanded consequences for the agents involved.

Online Footprint

Four days before the Virginia stop, back in Minneapolis, Lagunas told a driver he’d blocked in with his own vehicle: “You’re not gonna like the outcome of this, sir. I guarantee you’re not going to like the outcome.” On the day Renée Good died, he’d posted about her death on his own Facebook page. The caption was one word: “FAFO.”

This is a developing story. If you have information about Lagunas or other ICE agents caught on video committing atrocities in our country, let us know at tips@migrantinsider.com or on Signal at pab.202.

Political news I want to share. 8-16-2026 part 1

GOP Rep. Glenn Grothman: Actually, I think we should do a little more for the rich pic.twitter.com/MBoQEXttt6
— FactPost (@factpostnews) August 13, 2026

NEW: Legal filings say Rep. Max Miller made “false statements” to a court in order to get a Civil Protection Order against his ex-wife. Miller told the court he had an eyewitness refuting claim he assaulted Moreno. Then his lawyers recanted the evidence. https://t.co/Z0reqwCip4
— Abby Vesoulis (@abbyvesoulis) August 13, 2026

NEW AD: 14 years ago today, Ken Paxton stole someone's $1,000 pen.

Today, Ken Paxton’s pen victim is endorsing James Talarico. pic.twitter.com/GnNUsIlmrX
— Team Talarico (@TeamTalaricoHQ) August 14, 2026

Karoline Leavitt is getting glowing reviews of her performance as press secretary when she dodged, attacked, and obfuscated for the most part. A few examples of the lies we heard: claiming the US spent $50M on condoms for Gaza, calling the Epstein files a 'hoax,' denying war… pic.twitter.com/0RM3GYZctJ
— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) August 13, 2026

RFK Jr.: When you get on Trump's plane, it's just boxes and boxes of McDonald's. pic.twitter.com/XUdnH6Y7JU
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) August 13, 2026

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ji7lroxun3yvv2pxhcf7jqsn/post/3msyt6kkkkc23?ref_src=embed&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.joemygod.com%252F2026%252F08%252Fhugh-hefner-told-fbi-that-epstein-raped-playmate%252F

Pirro has convened a special grand jury, an extremely rare move in DC. That could potentially pave the way for her office to investigate some of its biggest cases.

Read more about what a special grand jury is and what it could mean for the office. https://t.co/1umfkKIPt0
— Perry Stein (@PerryStein) August 12, 2026

Todd Blanche's first address to DOJ: "We will always back the blue… Any time somebody assaults a federal law enforcement officer, we'll prosecute them."

73 Capitol Police and 65 MPD officers injured on Jan 6, 2021, would love to have a word.

5 more would, but they're dead. pic.twitter.com/Ttt9WVU96E
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) August 13, 2026

While struggling with the Reflecting Pool, Trump now takes his talents to aircraft carrier engineering. pic.twitter.com/HOX9NyqkHP
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 13, 2026

PM Netanyahu: "The first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain." pic.twitter.com/RBdvea5TgM
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 13, 2026

Bro LMAO these losers out there in Miami doing pushups for Andrew Tate outside of the jail pic.twitter.com/7o4X5Falrv
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) August 13, 2026

“Sky Evangelist” Whines Airline Won’t Leave Her Alone

Political news I want to share. 8-14-2026

In addition to trying to re-scrawl his name on the Kennedy Center facade by adding “Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,” Trump's trying to rename the physical site “the President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Opposing attys' statement below. (Wash Litig Grp & @DDFund_) pic.twitter.com/JMEoaKjJ0x
— Roger Parloff (@rparloff) August 13, 2026

https://www.tumblr.com/reagan-was-a-horrible-president/824787850938793984/source

https://www.tumblr.com/truth-has-a-liberal-bias/824769857191051264

The reports from the USS Abraham Lincoln about multiple sailors attempting to jump into the sea are disturbing. Long deployments are hard. They are a lot harder when the mission isn’t well defined and there is no end in sight. Here is some information on how to get help:… https://t.co/06a8Nu1ckx
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) August 13, 2026

The Department of the Navy must allow a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to visit the USS Lincoln to conduct oversight investigation into this horrible situation.
CODELs have visited war zones to inspect the conditions of our troops. There is no reason to be denied access. https://t.co/l1OwrXwJo1
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) August 13, 2026

NEW: The USS Abraham Lincoln was supposed to come home in May — instead, under Trump's Navy, its sailors are grinding through a ninth month at sea with no end date, and the crew is so broken that multiple have attempted suicide. This should be a national scandal.
— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) August 13, 2026

The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz.

Worse than fake news is fake intelligence. Be careful.

Allah is Great, Greater than ANY power on Earth. In Allah we trust.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) August 13, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: The wife of the USS Lincoln sailor who jumped overboard last week says she wasn't notified about the incident until four days after & said her husband repeatedly expressed concerns over his mental health but was "brushed off." w/@PriyaReporting https://t.co/jJlmtDHHNC
— Lindsey Pipia (@LP_Reports) August 13, 2026

NEW: The U.S. military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the war with Iran, or roughly 25 percent of its fleet, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The high-demand drones cost between $30 million and $50 million a piece. w/ @noahjrobertson…
— Tara Copp (@TaraCopp) August 13, 2026

https://www.tumblr.com/truth-has-a-liberal-bias/824766210610741248

NYP: Kari Lake, Scott Jennings and Spencer Pratt are seen as possible contenders who could replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Link to article: https://t.co/tqqFENRHXo pic.twitter.com/T5JUZvyDF0
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) August 13, 2026

Here’s my conversation with @ErinBurnett about my essay in today’s @nytimes. https://t.co/TDzc335oya https://t.co/yhsNNu5zqx
— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) August 13, 2026

I Was Dick Cheney’s Cardiologist. Trump Has Not Looked Well, and We Should Know Why. http://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/o…
— Elizabeth West (@limeylizzie.bsky.social) 2026-08-12T15:15:51.480Z

Florida allows voucher schools to cite their faith as a reason to deny admission to gay students.
But the AG says the same schools can't cite their faith as a reason to deny admission to anti-vaxxers.
What a selective version of faith and “freedom.”https://t.co/tdSfAUJwhi
— Scott Maxwell (@Scott_Maxwell) August 12, 2026

GOP Rep Falsely Claims 82% of Women Vaccinated in First Two Trimesters Miscarried
— Mediaite (@mediaite.com) 2026-08-11T23:13:17Z

The “covered up” data was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2021, where it has sat, publicly, for five years. It shows vaccinated women miscarried at the same rate as everyone else, about 1 in 8. The 82% figure comes from a denominator error: it counts… https://t.co/HtVOF5dDkR
— Jake Scott, MD (@jakescottMD) August 12, 2026

Ted Cruz has been better than a lot of Republicans, but as it turns out even “better” is pretty bad. https://t.co/AAEaEINybq
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) August 12, 2026

Shame on you @tedcruz. This is a bald faced lie. You are lying. You are purposely lying. You are purposely spreading malicious & dangerous disinformation. How the fuck do you live with yourself? Shame on you. https://t.co/1s040cuCAZ
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 12, 2026

This is a disgusting, disgraceful, reckless statement from Senator Cruz.

Not only are these statistics and claims totally, objectively wrong and false.

The data he's referencing was NEVER "covered up" by Dr. Fauci.

It's been public since its 2021 publication in NEJM.

And… https://t.co/i99Oh2sWFq
— Brad Polumbo (@brad_polumbo) August 12, 2026

🚨BREAKING: A Nebraska court Wednesday rejected the RNC’s lawsuit seeking to block certain U.S. citizens abroad from voting in the state, handing the national GOP another major loss in its escalating legal campaign against overseas voters. https://t.co/4nHl5KtzSE
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 12, 2026

This is one of the cringiest things I’ve ever watched. Is he mad at it? If this is his idea of campaigning, Gina has a real shot.

Also, thanks for reminding us that we can’t afford beef. https://t.co/DkNg0gl8KH
— Sara McGee for Texas HD 132 (@SaraForTexLege) August 12, 2026

BREAKING WaPo:Republican Rep. Max Miller's ex-wife has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Miller and his attorney — alleging that they "recklessly published" a nude image of Miller's 2-year-old daughter online.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) 2026-08-13T03:05:42.548Z

Watching the media and Democrats fall all over themselves defending Graham Platner is truly next level.

After all the sanctimonious lectures about everything, it turns out, they don’t actually care about Nazi affiliations or sexual abuse and harassment. pic.twitter.com/pV9FrBbO0x
— Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) June 12, 2026

Abdul El-Sayed’s best pal and campaign partner says the USA should resume lynchings against black people.

Listen for yourself and understand what the socialists have in store for the black community pic.twitter.com/N3ntbIHefw
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) August 12, 2026

CNN contributor Scott Jennings just falsely accused Hasan Piker of supporting lynchings using out-of-context clips in an attempt to attack Abdul El-Sayed's campaign. Defamation like this is highly unlawful and can result in millions of dollars in damages if Piker sues. pic.twitter.com/7mqYoacwGm
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) August 13, 2026

This is beyond insane, even for TX: Fort Worth police just ARRESTED a man for saying "bullshit" while speaking at last week's Tarrant County meeting opposing a plan to cut nearly 50% of Election Day voting locations. He's charged with disrupting a meeting, @startelegram reports.
— Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) August 12, 2026

Man arrested after profanity at last week’s Tarrant commissioners meeting, from @startelegram https://t.co/i6LsUVw4sa pic.twitter.com/ykdJYJIR5O
— Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) August 12, 2026

I’m very disappointed that SacAnime has disinvited me from a Halo 25 reunion at their conference next month. If you thought we defeated Cancel Culture in 2024, guess again! pic.twitter.com/DSEWcIEjDA
— Marty O'Donnell (@MartyTheElder) August 11, 2026

“Does not feel safe”

Because they are intellectual children who see a calmly articulated opposing worldview as violence.
— Brandon Herrera (@TheAKGuy) August 11, 2026

Its as simple as just not being an asshole dude. You're not entitled to be at an event when you speak out against the rights of the people organizing it.
— Zack Hatrick (@BionicZack) August 11, 2026

You cant hate the left enough.

They preach about acceptance yet the secound you are not 99.9% aligned with them they turn on you like a bunch of rabid dogs.

Truly, leftist are a bane on not only American society, but the world at large.

Be cool if we could just send them all…
— Vismier 🇺🇸 (@Vismier17) August 11, 2026

This isn't going to become some anomalous method of arresting people. They will be shocking people like this as a matter of course. pic.twitter.com/U9SuvaMTvu
— David J. Bier (@David_J_Bier) August 13, 2026

Kennedy Center board votes to partially close arts center during renovations and add Trump’s name to the building again

Some points I wish to make. First tRump couldn’t take not having his name seen on a building that was to honor the Kennedy family so he kept the tarps up. But why is this building and its prominence that attracts him? The way our society sees and has seen the Kennedy family has long been an issue and sore spot for tRump. In his mind his own family should be the US fake royalty not a war hero president and classy first lady. He raged against predient Kennedy’s son constantly angered that the press never covered his kids the same way. Well that is because while the Kennedy’s were doing good works for the public the tRump kids were ingaged in crimes and money laundering. tRump is fully consumed by his stature and standing with the public and how he is perceived because he is a poor man in a wealthy situation and he is a weak man pretending to be the model strong man. Remember he told Queen Elisabeth that his kids were equal to her kids because he was US royalty like she was British royalty. Hug

Attorneys for Beatty said in a statement that the new naming effort appears to defy a judge’s ruling this year that the center’s board does not have the authority to rename what was intended as a “living memorial” for an assassinated president.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/kennedy-center-board-votes-partially-close-arts-center-renovations-add-rcna592355

The board voted to change the name of the building to “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”

Scaffolding and tarps cover the building name at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on June 30.Al Drago / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

Aug. 13, 2026, 3:12 PM EDT / Updated Aug. 13, 2026, 4:19 PM EDT

By Andrea Mitchell, Jonathan Allen and Megan Brand

The Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board voted Thursday to partially close the iconic arts center for up to two years during renovations and to re-add President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade, according to a person who attended the virtual board meeting and a second person familiar with the meeting.

The decision would close the Kennedy Center’s main building and keep a smaller addition, known as the Reach, open for some events in response to a May court order requiring the board to maintain the center as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy.

After an almost two-hour Zoom meeting, the board voted 20-3 to change the name of the building to “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” and the physical location to “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick proposed the name change.

Trump, who appointed himself chairman of the board last year, joined the call for several minutes, according to the source who attended the meeting.

The three people voting against it are the ex officio members from Congress, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio; Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash.

“This latest development is a transparent effort to circumvent the Court’s ruling, and flies in the face of the statutes that Congress passed,” Beatty, who was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Kennedy Center’s renaming, said in a statement. “I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”

Attorneys for Beatty said in a statement that the new naming effort appears to defy a judge’s ruling this year that the center’s board does not have the authority to rename what was intended as a “living memorial” for an assassinated president.

“A federal judge already rejected the board’s unlawful attempt to rename the Kennedy Center, and told Donald Trump’s handpicked board that its last closure vote was ill-informed and preordained. Today’s vote is more of the same, and a show of blatant disrespect to the courts,” said the lawyers, Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky of Washington Litigation Group.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s order in May, which temporarily blocked the Kennedy Center’s planned closure last month, also asked that the board provide a financial plan to justify the decision to close it. Keeping the smaller venue open would allow ticket sales for some events, including performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, which is the Kennedy Center’s chief tenant.

The orchestra has performed there since the early 1970s, when the center — conceived by Jaqueline Kennedy as a memorial to her slain husband — opened.

In recent years, under the baton of music director and principal conductor Giancarlo Noseda, it has been rising in stature — but its future is now uncertain because the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall will not be available. A search for other venues in the area has been underway.

The Kennedy Center’s future has been in limbo for months as Trump moves to reshape the iconic art institution in his image, one of several major Washington renovation projects.

After Trump named himself the Kennedy Center’s chairman last year and filled its board with allies, the board voted unanimously in March to close the center for two years for renovations.

Cooper’s order temporarily blocked the construction work and ordered that Trump’s name be removed, which it was in June.

He also said the board could still ultimately close the center “should it come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion.”

Cooper also found the board did not have the authority to rename the center or add a name to it without the approval of Congress, which initially named it.

“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Cooper said in his May decision.

“May the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed absent Congressional authorization? The answer, plain from the face of the statute, is no. Nor can any other individual be memorialized on the front portico of the building. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

The decision to close the center and add Trump’s name to the building has sparked outrage from the administration’s critics, as well as members of the Kennedy family.

Former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, a grandnephew of the late president, said in a statement last year that the center “is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.”

===========================================================

Andrea Mitchell

Andrea Mitchell is chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News.

Jonathan Allen

Jonathan Allen is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News.

Megan Brand

Megan Brand is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Israel HUMILIATES Trump Ceasefire With CONSTANT BOMBINGS

Political news and stuff I want to share. 8-13-2026

Inbox: LGBTQ org @EqualityFlorida is condemning an attack text linking to a 2020 report about CD 24 candidate @ShevrinJones being turned away from a blood drive due to his sexuality.

Equality, which endorsed Jones, says it didn't pay for the text, which the text says it did. pic.twitter.com/6fd6bpPhYm
— Jesse Scheckner (@JesseScheckner) August 11, 2026

Since you’re too afraid to debate me, how about you “hold me accountable” on a football field instead. Tackle, no pads like we used to play when we were kids. I’d be happy to show you much I love football. https://t.co/6oQ6sunxZn
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) August 12, 2026

TOWN HALL CALLER: Hi Paxton, nice to meet you. I'm just wondering — why did you cheat on you wife?

KEN PAXTON: Um. I'm not going to talk about personal issues that relate to my family, just like I don't think you would want to discuss your marriage on a call with thousands of… pic.twitter.com/9en7qlSdVM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 11, 2026

Every parent wants to keep their children safe, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that, making deadly diseases preventable. @WHO is concerned that recent changes to US immunization policy are not aligned with decades of evidence that show when children… pic.twitter.com/vCfgJFrFGK
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 12, 2026

NEW: Fetterman pledges not to campaign against Republican Dave McCormick

“I would never, ever move against my friend,” Fetterman told me in an interview.

It’s not clear whether Fetterman will still be in politics in 2030, when McCormick’s seat opens up, but his promise is super…
— David Sivak (@DISivak) August 11, 2026

Authoritarianism isn’t down the street or around the corner — it's here right now.

The For Our Republic Act lays out a clear roadmap of the actions Congress can take to fight back against Trump’s authoritarian takeover and save our republic!https://t.co/3QKQvPhRwa
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) August 5, 2026

Jon Ossoff's Georgia Senate opponent, Mike Collins, when asked if he supports the $1.8B slush fund for January 6th rioters:

"That’s easy. Yes.” pic.twitter.com/N9QD2DkRUo
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) August 11, 2026

That’s Dominic Box who proudly says he’d do it again.

He lies about what he did that led to his charges, especially after he illegally entered the capitol he actively tried to get more people in.

Like most Jan 6’ers he wouldn’t listen to his attorneys (they all thought they… pic.twitter.com/VlzsxorGlq
— 🪴Laurie (@Laurieluvsmolly) August 11, 2026

Donald Trump and Mike Collins want to pay your tax dollars to violent thugs who ransacked the Capitol to undermine our elections and attacked police officers on January 6th. Georgians will vote accordingly. https://t.co/rnkRI1vU5s
— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) August 12, 2026

I helped pass this law in 2020. It's purpose is to prevent drug traffickers, Russian & Chinese kleptocrats, and other international criminals from setting up anonymously owned companies to hide their money in the US. Trump's Treasury Dept. is doing this to help criminals. 1/ https://t.co/k7zRPDlwoH
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

"Beneficial ownership information" is just a record of who actually owns a company. That's all that was being reported here, so that we didn't have LLCs in Delaware laundering millions of dollars through the US and into offshore banks on behalf of totally anonymous people. 2/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Treasury deleting the beneficial ownership info it already gathered is utterly crazy. This database was not public — it was just for law enforcement to use in investigating crimes. It's like Trump ordering the deletion of the FBI's fingerprint database. 3/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Why is the Trump administration doing this? I don't know. But it's certainly good news for rich Russians who want to buy his condos, or Gulf royals buying his fake crypto. The true identities of people he's done business with, if registered with Treasury, will now be deleted. 4/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Last but not least, this is totally illegal!

Congress passed a law — with strong Republican support BTW — saying Treasury had to collect and keep beneficial ownership info. The Trump administration cannot say "we're just not going to do it." 5/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

This will find its way to court. It will be struck down.

But the deletion of data currently available to law enforcement may be irreversible.

It's one of the most lawless and corrupt things this administration has done, and that's saying a lot.
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026